FujiFilm Announces Three Affordable Cameras

FujiFilm has announced two sub-$200 compacts and a new superzoom aimed at beginning shutterbugs.

FujiFilm today announced three budget-friendly cameras aimed at photography newbies. Each of these shooters is relatively inexpensive, but provides a wide array of tools to help shutterbugs capture the action.

First up is the FinePix S700, a superzoom that's styled like a D-SLR. The S700 includes a 10x zoom lens, a 7-megapixel CCD sensor, and ISO settings of up to 1,600. A Picture Stabilization mode uses the S700's higher ISOs to speed up the shutter and cut down on blur caused by a shaky hand or objects in motion. We'd prefer to see optical image stabilization in any camera with 10X zoom, though, as boosting the ISO can add noise to the image.

The S700 also includes 14 scene modes including Night, Sport, and Party (to name a few) for enabling the right settings on the fly. The camera can use XD-Picture Cards as well as the more prevalent Secure Digital cards. Expect the FinePix S700 to ship in March 2007 for a retail price of $249.95.

Along with the S700, FujiFilm has pulled the tarp off of two low-cost digital cameras targeted at the value market, the 8MP FinePix A820 and 9MP FinePix A900. Both of these consumer digicams offer 4X optical zoom lenses and ISO settings of up to 800. As with the S700, the A820 and A900 feature FujiFilm's Picture Stabilization technology and a 2.5-inch LCD display to frame your shots. The cameras also have 16 screen modes accessible from an icon-based user interface. You can use both XD-Picture Cards and Secure Digital media to store pics, too. Listing for $179.95 and $199.95 respectively, the FinePix A820 and FinePix A900 will hit stores in May 2007.